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How to Grow a Cucumber in a Bottle

cucumber in a bottle Picture
If you enjoy novelties, growing a cucumber in a bottle may be just the thing for you. With a little patience, you can grow a full-size cucumber in a bottle that can't be removed without breaking the bottle. Although there is no magic involved in this old-timer's trick you will create a great conversation piece.


  1. Select a bottle with a small mouth for the best effect. Wash and dry the bottle and head on out to the garden. The mouth of the bottle needs to be large enough to slip a miniature cucumber inside, but small enough that a mature cucumber cannot fit through the opening. 
  2. Slip a tiny cucumber into the bottle being careful not to damage the vine. You may wish to add a strip of tape to prevent the cucumber from slipping out, but use caution not to get the tape on either the cucumber or the vine.
  3. Cover the bottle with vines to shade it from direct sunlight. Leaving the bottle exposed to direct sunlight will cause the interior to heat up on sunny days and will cook you cucumber.
  4. Check the cucumber daily and tuck it back into the bottle if it begins to slide out. Don't worry. Within a few days your cucumber won't be able to fit through the mouth of the bottle.
  5. Water your cucumber plant every few days to keep the soil evenly moist - using care not to get water in the bottle. If the bottle fills with water, gently pour the water out of the bottle. Too much moisture inside the bottle may cause your cucumber to rot.
  6. Monitor the growth of the cucumber carefully to make sure it doesn't get overly ripe. Your goal is to grow a crisp, green cucumber - not a yellow one. Cucumbers grow quickly and yours should be ready for harvesting in few days.
  7. Cut the cucumber from the vine when it reaches the desired size. The cucumber will slip further inside the bottle leaving your visitors wondering how it got there.
  8. You can pickle your cucumber, if preferred, by following your favorite pickle recipe and processing the sealed bottle in a boiling water bath. Pickled cucumbers can be kept as a showpiece for years - whereas a fresh cucumber will only last a few days.  If you intend to pickle your cucumber make sure the bottle can be sealed and processed properly.
This makes a great conversation starter or project for kids to enter in agricultural fairs. So go ahead, gather up some bottles and put the youngsters in your life to work growing the seemingly impossible cucumber in a bottle.

Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables